Steam vacuum cleaner



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STEAM VACUUM CLEANER Filed Aug. 24, 1.948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 1. ,eo/VA .e0 @PANNE/1,4m

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Patented Feb. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'STEAMVACUUM CLEANER Leonard Branneman, Green Cove Springs, Fla.

Application August 24, 1948, Serial No. 45,853

(Cl. -314l l 4Claims.

This invention relates to cleaning devices 'of the vacuum type, and more particularly, to a combined scrubbing and vacuum cleaning device employing steam as the scrubbing medium.

A main object of the invention `is to provide a novel and improved steam cleaning device for .use in cleaning floors and other at surfaces, said device providing ia vacuum as well as a scrubbing action on the `surface being cleaned and 'being simple in construction, easy to operate and compact in size.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved combined vacuumand steam cleaning device especially useful in cleaning'the floor and walls of kitchen and similar locations, said device being inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction and providing a rscrubbing action on the surface being cleaned by means of steam jets whereby dirt is dislodged from said surface, and also providing a vacuum action to remove the dislodged dirt particles and to dispose of same.

Further objects and advantages kof the invention will become apparent `from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly Vin cross-section, of the lhead portion of a 'steam and vacuum cleaning apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is 'a fragmentary bottom view, partly in cross-section, of the head member shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 isa side elevational view of a cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, shown operatively connected to a kitchen sink.

Figure 4 is an enlarged top plan View of the movable floor scrubbing member employed in the apparatus of Figure '3.

Referring to the drawings, and `more particularly to Figures 3 and 4, the-apparatus comprises a head member, designated generally at II, having `pivotally connected thereto at I2,I2 a yoke member I3, said yoke member having rigidly secured thereto an elongated tubular handle I4 which is employed to manipulate the head II. Head II 'is preferably square in plan, as shown in Figure 4, and is formed with upwardly and inwardly sloping outer wall surfaces indicated at I5. Head II is preferably of -moulded construction and may be made of any suitable light weight material such as plastic, aluminum, or the like. Head I I is formed with an upper chamber 'I6 which tapers downwardly and outwardly 2 toward the peripheral bottom edges of the head. At said edges the head is formed around its periphery with regularly spaced passages I1 which connect chamber I5 with the space below head I'I, said passages being angled downwardly and inwardly as shown at .I 8.

Secured to the top portion of head II and projecting into the chamber I6 are a plurality of electrical heating units I9, each unit being provided with a heating coil 29 connected to a pair of upwardly projecting terminal prongs 2I,2I. Each heating unit I9 has a downwardly concave bottom heat transfer surface 22.

Designated at 23 is a flexible water inlet conduit which is connected to head II at 24 and communicates with a passage 25 formed in head II. Secured. 'in the inner wall portion of chamber I9 subadjacent each heating unit I9 is a spray nozzle 36 directed upwardly toward `the concave bottom, vheat transfer surface 22 of the heating unit. Passages 2l `formed in head II connect the respective nozzles 26 to the water inlet passa-ge 25.

The head II is formed at its central portion with la vertical passage 28 of relatively large size which flares `outwardly Vat its lower portion, as shown at 29, and merges with a generally conical shallow cavity 30 formed in the bottom of head II. The outer edges of the head bottom are located just beyond the ends of the downwardly and `inwardly directed angled passage portions I8. The sloping walls of cavity 30, indicated at 3|, denne at 32 a restricted Apassage with respect to the floor surface on which head ll is supported, Vsaid restricted passage being located inwardly Vadjacent the angled passage portions I8, and vdefining' the throat of a venturi between the passage portions I8 andthe inner portion of cavity 20.

At the top end of passage 28, head `II is formed with a. threaded sleeve portion 33 and clamped therein by a hanged nut 34 vis a rigid flanged conduit member 35, the flange 36 of said conduit being clampingly engaged by 'flanged nut 34 in a manner shown in' Figure l. Connected to conduit member 35 is a flexible hose 31. As shown in Eiigure 3, hose 3.1 is connected to the intake passage of a vacuum blower unit 38 located below the sink 39. The exhaust passage of the vacuum unit 33 is connected to the waste pipe 4D of the sink. The water hose 23 is secured by hose 3l, as by lashing .members 4l, and is connected through a manually controlled valve 42 to the water line 43 of the'sink.

A suitable electric cord 44 is provided which extends through handle I4 and has a plurality of female appliance plugs 45 connected thereto. The female plugs 45 are engaged with the respective pairs of terminal prongs 2|,2L whereby the heater units I9 may be energized by connecting cord 44 to the electric power line, as shown in Figure 3. Vacuum blower unit 33 is electrically driven, and its motor is energized by a suitable line cord, not shown.

In operation, Water is admitted through hose 23 into'passage 25 and the passages 21, the water emergingl from nozzles 26 as jets of spray directed against the concave heating surfaces 22. The spray is vaporized and diffused by contact with said concave heating surfaces and is con- .verted into steam. The steam builds up pressure in chamber I 5 and jets through the pas-y sages |1 ,and their downwardly and inwardly angled portions I8 onto the subadjacent licor surface. The steam jets enter the Venturi throat at 32 and pass therethrough, increasing in velocity as the steam-expands into the cavity 30 and agitating the subadjacent floor surface, whereby dirt particles are loosened from said surface and are picked up. by the rapidly moving iiuid current. The expanded steam and the dirt particles carried thereby are drawn upwardly through passage 28 and through hose 31 by the suction unit 38, and pass through the exhaust conduit of the suction unit to the waste pipe 40.

Since the jet passage portions I8 are located substantially at the lower edges of the head Il, the head may be employed to clean floor areas closely adjacent to walls and adjacent to corners of the room with the same efficiency as the areas in the intermediate portions of the room.

The device may be manipulated by the operator in the same general manner as a conventional vacuum cleaner. The exible hose elements 23 and 31 are preferably of substantial length so that all parts of the room may be reached.

While a specific embodiment of a combined steam scrubbing and vacuum cleaning device has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined steam scrubbing and vacuum cleaning apparatus of the character described, comprising a head member formed with an internal chamber, an electric heater secured to said head member and projecting into said chamber, a spray nozzle secured in said chamber directed toward said heater, said head member being formed with a concave bottom surface and an exhaust passage communicating with said bottom surface, the lower edge portion of said head member being formed around the periphery of the head member with spaced restricted passages connecting said chamber with said concave bottom surface, a water supply conduit connected to said spray nozzle, and a vacuum pump connected to said exhaust passage.

2. Avcombined steam scrubbing and vacuum cleaning apparatus of the character described,

4 comprising a downwardly concave head member formed with an internal chamber, a heater secured to said head member and extending into said chamber, a spray nozzle secured in said chamber and directed toward said heater, the lower edge portions of the head member being formed with spaced downwardly-directed passages connecting said chamber to the bottom of the head member, and a Vacuum pump connected to the bottom space of said head member.

3. A 'combined' steam scrubbing and vacuum cleaning apparatus of the character described comprising a downwardly concave head member formed with an internal chamber, a heater carried in said chamber, a spray nozzle secured in said chamber and directed toward said heater.

the lower edge portions of the head member being formed with spaced downwardly-directed passages `connecting said chamber to the concave bottom of the head member, the bottom wall of said head member being depressed inwardly adjacent said passages to dene a restricted inward passage with relation to the surface on which said head member is supported and a vacuum pump connected to the central portion of the concave space at the bottom of said head member. 4. A combined steam scrubbing and vacuum cleaning apparatus of the character described comprising a downwardly concave rectangular head member having downwardly and outwardly sloping outer marginal surfaces, said head member being formed with an internal chamber, an electrical heater carried in said chamber having a concave bottom surface, a spray nozzle carried in said chamber directed toward said concave heater surface, a water supply conduit connected to 'said spray nozzle, the lower Iedge portions of the head member being formed with spaced downwardly and inwardly directed passages connecting said chamber to the space beneath the head member, the bottom wall of said head member being depressed inwardly adjacent said passages to denea restricted inward passage with relation to the surface on which the head member is supported, said head member being formed with a enlarged central vertical passage communicating with the bottom space thereof, a vacuum pump, V'and a flexible hose connecting said enlarged central passage Ato the intake of said vacuum pump.

LEONARD BRANNEMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references `are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 596,475 Germany May '1, 1934 

